Anti-Aging Dentistry

Offered at our convenient location in Alexandria, VA

Anti-aging dentistry can help you achieve a more youthful appearance by diminishing wrinkles, plumping up lips, and perfecting smiles, thus making patients look years younger without surgery. Often times, men and women begin to see these natural signs of aging and look for treatments such as dermal fillers or facelifts.

There is now a better solution to reduce these signs of aging and shed years off of your appearance. Dr. Kitchen and Dr. Ahmed are proud to offer this cosmetic procedure here at Old Town Smiles. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation and find out more!

What is Anti-Aging Dentistry?

As we grow older, the lower portion of our face begins to shrink, the muscles aren’t as firm, and the teeth wear down. As teeth wear down, the jaw can be prevented from closing properly which causes pain. Black spaces between the teeth and stained, dingy teeth can also be a sign of aging. With cosmetic dentistry, we are able to drastically reduce wrinkles, improve functionality and eliminate discomfort through manipulation of tooth size, color, and width.

Changing the color, size, and shape of the teeth can take off years of your age, thus creating a more youthful appearance. Wrinkles around your lips and mouth can be minimized by building out the teeth with veneers or crowns. And in addition, oral health is greatly improved. A one on one consultation with one of our dentists is necessary in order to understand each patient’s concerns and needs.

What Does Anti-Aging Dentistry Treat?

As the teeth begin to wear down, our bites can begin to shift. This can lead to negative impacts such as pain and lack of quality sleep. Very commonly, men and women tend to overlook these issues as natural side effects of aging. However, this is not always the case. Over time, people experience a variety of issues that are caused by the reduction in the size and strength of our teeth, as well as a decline in jawbone density. Below are the most common issues our patients experience due to the current condition of their teeth.

Restless Sleep

You may notice that, over time, your sleeping habits have become more restless. This should not be categorized as simply a sign of aging that is uncorrectable. As teeth become shorter over years of wear and tear, bite position loses height. This new positioning directly affects our jaw position, creating a smaller airway. The minimized airway leads to difficulty breathing while asleep. This is what leads you to constantly wake throughout the night, as well as causing you to breathe through your mouth, often causing snoring. With the help of anti-aging dentistry, you can heighten and align your bite, allowing you to sleep more soundly.

Digestion

Patients who experience a decrease in bite efficiency can have digestion issues arise as well as added discomfort when chewing. With anti-aging dentistry, you can improve your chewing effectiveness by strengthening your bite. It is very common that as men and women get older, they begin to take supplements and medications to improve digestion. However, this is not always necessary. By correcting your smile, the jaw will realign and the ability to chew food correctly will improve, leading to an overall increase in the body’s ability to digest food.

TMJ Correction

TMJ, otherwise known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction, can be caused by a few different reasons such as jaw injury, genetics, or arthritis that can cause pain in your jaw joints and the surrounding muscles, as well as limiting jaw movement. Through anti-aging dentistry, patients can correct this issue by realigning the jaw through the heightened bite. This, in turn, can alleviate headaches and muscle pain that may be caused by the joint dysfunction.

Signs of Aging on the Face

As the name suggests, anti-aging dentistry, also known as ‘facelift dentistry’, reduces the appearance of inevitable signs of aging.

Such concerns are wrinkles around the mouth, thinning lips, and sunken cheeks. While this procedure may not accomplish the dramatic results of a surgical facelift or dermal fillers, by using veneers to build the teeth up, all of the aforementioned aging concerns are addressed.

Anti-Aging Dentistry vs. Cosmetic Procedures

Patients do not recognize the huge impact that our smiles have on our appearance. The condition of our mouth and teeth weigh heavily on the way we perceive ourselves and the way others perceive us. Wrinkles and lines can begin to form on the face over time, adding years to our appearance.

Normally, this is because our teeth have worn down and become smaller, restructuring our jaw alignment, reducing biting strength, and shortening the face, causing wrinkles to form.

Men and women often look to correct these issues through the use of injectable fillers and forms of surgery such as a facelift. These procedures either require significant upkeep and maintenance or require lengthy recovery time. However, none of these procedures treat the underlying issue that the decline in our teeth has caused. With anti-aging dentistry, patients will be able to correct these aesthetic and functional concerns by heightening their overall bite and elongating their face, creating a stunning smile and appearance for years to come.

Good Candidates

Patients that are good candidates for anti-aging dentistry are healthy men and women who experience one or more of the following:

Shortened or uneven teeth

Worn, chipped, and decaying teeth

Black holes on the sides of the mouth when smiling

Collapsed jaw or sagging of the jawline

Protruding chin

Hollowness in the cheeks

Deep smile lines

Thinning lips

Vertical lines surrounding the upper lips

If your who would like to find out if you are a good candidate, please contact our office and schedule a consultation! Anti-aging dentistry can reverse the signs of aging on the face while also providing a radiant, healthy smile.

Consultation

During the initial consultation with either Dr. Kitchen or Dr. Ahmed, patients will be asked what their particular concerns are and what they are looking to achieve through this procedure. Next, the dentist will review dental history and any previous dental procedures undergone.

The dentist will then perform an examination of the face, mouth, and teeth to determine if anti-aging dentistry will be the best fit for the particular needs or if an alternative procedure would be better suited to provide the desired results. X-rays may be taken as well. If the patient is deemed a good candidate, the dentist will develop a personalized treatment plan to help them achieve their aesthetic goals. At this time, the dentist will be able to provide an individualized quote that has been tailored towards the specific concerns. During this consultation, patients will be given the option to schedule their procedure date before leaving the office.

A benefit to this procedure is that there is no preparation needed beforehand.

Because the dentist is placing crowns or veneers over the damaged, uneven teeth, patients will most likely not have any extra work or preparing to do. It is advised, however, that patients should maintain good oral hygiene habits leading up to the procedure. Patients who are ready to find out more about anti-aging dentistry and how it can benefit them can take the next step by contacting our office and requesting a consultation with Dr. Kitchen or Dr. Ahmed!

Procedure

Once we have determined through a consultation and comprehensive exam that the patient is a candidate, we will have our master ceramist create a mock wax-up of your new smile. The teeth will be prepared, an impression will be made, and you will be fitted with temporaries that look exactly like the wax-up.

While you are in temporaries we will have you continue with your routine dental care at home. A few weeks later, you will come in for your final visit where the permanent restorations will be bonded to your teeth. Changing the color, size, shape of your teeth can take years off of your age. Our patients often tell us that creating a new smile has changed their life.

Recovery and Results

After the anti-aging dentistry procedure is complete and the veneers have been placed and secures, patients will be able to leave the office immediately. Because this procedure does not require surgery, patients will be free to leave immediately and return to their daily schedules.

The patient will be asked to return for two postoperative appointments within the first week. Because this treatment uses veneers to correct the bite and jaw alignment, the results are very long-lasting. With proper upkeep and maintaining good oral hygiene, results can last up to ten years. As part of the results, patients will notice a reduction of wrinkles around the mouth, a brighter smile, lengthening of the face, and years off of their appearance.

Cost

The cost of the anti-aging dentistry will vary from patient to patient. Because this is such a customizable procedure, it is necessary for patients to come in and meet with either Dr. Kitchen or Dr. Ahmed for a consultation. During this time, an individualized treatment plan and a custom quote will be created.

With just one phone call, men and women can both receive the age-defying results that this dental procedure provides. Get started today by contacting our office to set up a consultation. Nearly anyone can receive the benefits of the anti-aging dentistry procedure!